The fall of Raqqa sets into motion new power alignment in West Asia; tracing Yash Chopra’s journey from the Sangh to romantic filmmaking; and more

[View this email in your browser]( Top Story [Pavan Varma: EC Hasn’t Given Credible Answer on Gujarat; BJP Wrong to Use Religion to Polarise]( Karan Thapar [Janata Dal (United) leader Pavan Varma has broken ranks with his party to publicly question Narendra Modi’s handling of the economy, Yogi Adityanath’s politics of religious polarisation and the Election Commission’s decision to delay the announcement of Gujarat’s elections. In an interview with Karan Thapar for The Wire, the former JD(U) spokesman insists he reflects the real ideology of the party but says his political fate lies in the hands of his leader, Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar.]( [The Fall of Raqqa Sets Into Motion New Power Alignment in West Asia]( Talmiz Ahmad [The end of the caliphate has opened fresh sectarian, ethnic and political fault lines that will suffuse the region in harsh competitions and conflicts for years to come.]( [Imposing GST on Handmade Goods in Line With India’s History of Policy Bias Against Artisans]( Neeta Deshpande [Successive governments have for decades discriminated against and neglected the handloom sector to favour mills and mechanised powerlooms.]( [‘I Draw All My Characters From the Real World’: How Homen Borgohain Documents Assamese Life]( Sangeeta Barooah Pisharoty [Matsyagandha, published in 1987, is celebrated for Borgohain’s ability to depict untouchability and the vicious grip of kani or opium.]( [Tracing Yash Chopra’s Journey, From the Sangh to Romantic Filmmaking]( Prakash K. Ray [A large part of the journey of Indian cinema boasts the footprints of Yash Chopra and his brother B.R. Chopra.]( [It’s Decision Review Time for Sreesanth and a ‘Not-Out’ Call Seems Highly Unlikely]( Rajeev Ramachandran [The BCCI’s ban, which virtually shuts Sreesanth from any sort of engagement with cricket, could be the end of the road for the 34-year-old capricious pace bowler.]( [Policy Flip-Flops in PM’s Food Processing Investment Scheme Make It a Non-Starter]( Mahesh Natani [A strange, last-minute circular that invalidates many business proposals will almost certainly impact private investment and job creation.]( [In Conversation With a Feisty Nuclear Physicist]( Nandita Jayaraj [Maitreyee Saha Sarkar deals with work on nuclear structure to understand why various types of nuclei behave in different ways.]( Copyright © 2017 The Wire, All rights reserved. You're getting this email because you recently subscribed to receive email digests from The Wire via our website. Our mailing address is: The Wire 13, Shaheed Bhagat Singh Marg Gole MarketNew Delhi 110001 India [Add us to your address book](//thewire.us11.list-manage.com/vcard?u=6b988b13445248b1268a308f2&id=4808224841) Want to change how you receive these emails? You can [update your preferences]( or [unsubscribe from this list](